Imagine Otherwise by Ideas on Fire

How are artists, activists, and communities resetting the colonial clock? What does it mean to reinterpret political actions as insurgent performances? How might we transform the collaborative possibilities of scholarly work?

In episode 92 of the Imagine Otherwise podcast, host Cathy Hannabach interviews curator, performer, and scholar Sandra Ruiz about the radical ways that Puerto Rican artists, performers and activists are resetting the colonial clock, what it means to use language to restage historical performances in the present, how Sandra mobilizes everyday absurdity in her theater and gallery curatorial work, and why imagining otherwise is one of the most powerful tools of insurgency and decolonization.

TRANSCRIPT & SHOW NOTES: https://ideasonfire.net/92-sandra-ruiz

What does it mean to value storytelling as a form of knowledge production? How can we develop collaborative research projects with the communities to which we are accountable? What transformative avenues emerge when we ask what people need rather than making assumptions?

In episode 91 of the Imagine Otherwise podcast, host Cathy Hannabach talks with professor Tania Lizarazo about how digital storytelling lets her build transnational community and accountability in deeply local spaces, the very different process of doing collaborative research that actively enriches the lives of everyone involved (not just the lives of scholars in the academy), and why being willing to listen and learn together in public is how Tania imagines otherwise.

Transcript and show notes: https://ideasonfire.net/91-tania-lizarazo/

Why did so many feminist performers and artists of a certain generation transition into academic careers? How can scholars and activists mobilize beyond neoliberal forms of resilience? How might humor and solidarity provide the tools we need to build worlds beyond the here and now?

In episode 90 of the Imagine Otherwise podcast, host Cathy Hannabach interviews poet, performer, and professor Alix Olson about how and why Alix made the transition from internationally touring spoken word poet to gender studies professor and scholar, the limits of resilience as an organizing strategy and what we might mobilize around instead, how artists and performers can adapt their skills to the classroom to teach diverse students, and why centering humor, laughter, and expansive practices of family are key to how Alix imagines otherwise.

TRANSCRIPT & SHOW NOTES: https://ideasonfire.net/90-alix-olson

How can children's literature help us make sense of an ever-changing world? Why is speculative fiction having such a moment in contemporary popular culture? How might theorizing and creating cultural production increase our capacity for hope?

In episode 89 of the Imagine Otherwise podcast, host Cathy Hannabach interviews education professor and young adult novelist Ebony Elizabeth Thomas about why young adult fantasy and speculative fiction is so popular with adults and media companies alike in our current moment, Ebony's recommendations for recent and awesome speculative fiction by and about people of color, how writing in creative genres like fan fiction and novels can enliven scholarship, and why studying, championing, and creating children's literature that leaves no one behind is how Ebony imagines otherwise.

Transcript and show notes: https://ideasonfire.net/89-ebony-elizabeth-thomas/

How might difference be reframed as avenue toward sharing collective power instead of a source of conflict? How can the literary world better encourage and sustain writers from marginalized identities? What does it mean to make art that doesn't shy away from the politics of context?

In episode 88 of the Imagine Otherwise podcast, host Cathy Hannabach talks with author, editor, and podcast co-host Denne Michele Norris about how the writing process differs for novels versus short fiction, why sending authors acceptance letters is the highlight of her day as a fiction editor, how the literary world can make publishing more accessible to writers from marginalized groups, and why positioning difference as a source of strength rather than conflict is how Denne imagines otherwise.

Transcript and show notes: https://ideasonfire.net/88-denne-michele-norris

How are Black feminists challenging tired savior narratives in favor of robust and fully human forms of admiration? How can scholars unlearn some of the academy's lessons to produce truly great public scholarship? What does it actually look like on a daily basis to embody justice as love in public?

In episode 87 of the Imagine Otherwise podcast, host Cathy Hannabach chats with podcaster, Teen Vogue columnist, and political scientist Jenn. M. Jackson about what its like cohosting a podcast about Black millennial life with her partner, how Black feminists are challenging popular savior narratives, why scholars need to unlearn some of the academy's lessons to write truly great public scholarship, and how doing the justice work of love in public is how Jenn imagines otherwise.

Transcript and show notes: https://ideasonfire.net/87-jenn-m-jackson

How do radical music cultures help us rethink differently copyright and global cultural production? What does it mean to put theory and creative practice in conversation with one another? How can we create socially, politically, and ethically engaged scholarship that is accountable to and supportive of marginalized communities?

In episode 86 of the Imagine Otherwise podcast, host Cathy Hannabach talks with DJ and media studies professor and DJ Larisa Kingston Mann about how radical music communities navigate copyright law and colonial legacies; how Larisa's work as a DJ and music event organizer taught her how to improvise and read a room (including a classroom); and how making her academic work accountable to marginalized communities and broader social justice movements is how Larisa imagines otherwise.

Transcript and shownotes: https://ideasonfire.net/86-larisa-kingston-mann/

How might we interrogate the sociocultural dimensions of music through queer, class-conscious, and anti-racist frameworks? How can teachers of all subjects use music to tackle challenging topics like race and class politics in the classroom? How can incorporating a creative practice improve scholarly research?

In episode 85 of the Imagine Otherwise podcast, host Cathy Hannabach chats with musician and scholar Nadine Hubbs about why American classical music owes its existence to gay social networks; how Latinx millennials are showing that American country music is also Mexican; how dedicating serious time to a creative practice can actually help you get tenure; and why teaching students about the powerful community-building power of music is how Nadine imagines otherwise.

Transcript and show notes: https://ideasonfire.net/85-nadine-hubbs/

How do punitive governance like policing and natural disasters like Hurricane Maria reveal the ongoing colonial relationship between the US and Puerto Rico? What do you do when your research plans are thrown into disarray by unforeseen events? How might we work together to imagine an abolitionist future?

In episode 84 of the Imagine Otherwise podcast, host Cathy Hannabach talks with Latinx studies scholar Marisol LeBrón about how police violence and Hurricane Maria reveal the fraught colonial relationship between Puerto Rico and the US government, how scholars can roll with the punches when natural disasters and other major current events upend their research plans, why repair and rest are critical components of any professional career, and how an anti-colonial abolitionist praxis is how Marisol imagines otherwise.

Transcript and show notes: https://ideasonfire.net/84-marisol-lebron/

How do the racist and misogynist histories of population control shape current debates over climate change? How is the reproductive justice movement shifting our understandings of environmentalism and public health? How are feminist public health scholars harnessing photography, poetry, and creative writing to bring their research to diverse audiences?

In episode 83 of the Imagine Otherwise podcast, host Cathy Hannabach interviews gender and health studies scholar Jade S. Sasser about how the long racist and sexist histories of population control shape current-day climate change debates and global health policy, how to approach scholarship from a position of social justice activism, bringing creative pursuits like photography into academic research, and why critiquing capitalist institutions instead of blaming marginalized individuals in debates over environmentalism is key to how Jade imagines otherwise.

TRANSCRIPT AND SHOW NOTES: https://ideasonfire.net/83-jade-sasser